King Wen saw his condition improving, but for some unknown reason, a cold caused him to succumb and die.
Even on his deathbed, he instructed the heir to bring Hu Axiong to justice and avenge him.
The crown prince wept bitterly, only then realizing that King Wen had been forcing himself to take a large amount of potent medicine to pave the way for him.
To prevent the heir apparent from being sidelined as soon as he takes over.
After dealing with several people who could threaten the crown prince and entrusting two people to assist him, King Wen passed away.
Ma Zhigang was overjoyed at the death of King Wen.
While the other side was holding a funeral, we directly sent troops to attack them.
But he didn't expect that King Wen was prepared, having already sent people to guard the pass and set up several ambushes.
Ma Zhigang not only gained no benefit, but also suffered heavy losses and had to retreat to Yonghe Prefecture.
At this time, there was a disagreement in Chenxi about whether to conquer Zhongdao Prefecture or take Yonghe Prefecture.
Gu Beitian suggested taking Yonghe Prefecture, since it was a well-fortified city with flat terrain and fertile land.
It is the most fertile land in the north. The black soil there is incredibly rich.
Although it is geographically similar to Zhonggui Prefecture, Zhonggui Prefecture is made of yellow soil, while Yonghe Prefecture is made of black soil.
The region, including Busi Prefecture and parts of Northern Xinjiang Prefecture, is also covered in black soil.
This is why both Ma Zhigang and Prince Wen were vying for Yonghe Mansion.
If you cultivate crops properly for a year, you can supply several regions.
Zhongdao Prefecture is mountainous with rugged and difficult roads, and it is also backed by the Western Frontier region, with which the two are now closely connected. Taking it would be extremely difficult.
Gu Beitian's suggestion to take over Yonghe Mansion was based on this point.
Mo Yuhua said, "Yonghe Prefecture is now the territory that the new Prince Wen and Ma Zhigang are fighting over. If we rashly intervene, we will inevitably become the common enemy of both sides."
If both sides become hostile to this side, it will be a losing proposition.
Gu Beitian disagreed with this view, saying that they would have to confront these two teams sooner or later, and there was no need to worry now. The commander's troops were strong and well-equipped, and there was no need to fear these two.
Chenxi sighed in pain, "That's why they say there can only be one chief of staff. If there are too many people making decisions, everyone will have their own opinions."
Chen Xi slapped the table, "Sister Yu Hua, we must take Yonghe Prefecture."
Mo Yuhua knew that this was Shen Xi's decision, so she said nothing more.
She couldn't easily refute the leader's decision, after all, she had to uphold the leader's dignity.
Moreover, she now greatly admires the leader; for a woman to have reached such a position is a feat rarely seen in the world.
Shenxi instructed, "From now on, Beitian will have the final say on strategic policy matters. Beitian, go and arrange the attack on Yonghe Prefecture."
Attacking Yonghe Prefecture was also what Shenxi herself wanted, because once Yonghe Prefecture was captured, the northern frontier would be under her iron hooves.
King Wen was also exposed to her. Now that the old King Wen was heartbroken and the new King Wen was unstable, it was time to defeat him.
Zhongdao Prefecture is bound to be attacked sooner or later, but for now, Zhongdao Prefecture dares not have any intention of showing its strength and can only rely on its natural defenses to hold on to the death.
Moreover, Zhongdao Prefecture is easy to defend and difficult to attack; it would take a much longer time to capture it.
Taking Yonghe Prefecture would be much simpler.
She also wiped out the two northern forces, otherwise, if she wanted to advance south, these two forces would eventually become obstacles for her.
However, taking Beishang Prefecture would be no easy task.
Similar to Beijiang Prefecture, Beishang Prefecture has dense forests. If they enter the deep forests and start guerrilla warfare or become bandits, it will be very difficult to deal with them.
No matter how difficult it is, it must be done. In the end, a large number of people will definitely be left to clean up the mess.
There was no doubt that we could attack Yonghe Prefecture; the troops were readily available.
Neither King Wen nor Ma Zhigang expected that Shenxi would not attack Zhongdao Prefecture, but instead attack Yonghe Prefecture.
Ma Zhigang, naturally, wouldn't tolerate this and immediately launched a war.
He knew that Shenxi had some very powerful weapons that were said to be firearms.
However, he also purchased large quantities of gunpowder, so his strength should not be underestimated.
But when a long line of what were called tanks drove out from Chenxi's team, Ma Zhigang's team was stunned.
This thing is like an iron ox; if you touch it, you'll die; if you bump into it, you'll perish.
The flesh and blood body is simply incomparable to it.
Shenxi looked at the battlefield through his binoculars, clicked his tongue, and sighed.
If better steel could be produced, tanks wouldn't be so fragile, and better cannons could be built.
Modern cannons are prone to barrel explosions, so they need to be fired from a distance.
Whether it explodes or how far it goes depends entirely on luck.
As long as you don't injure or kill your own people, it's fine.
Chenxi feels very proud to have firearms, so he's going to sweep through!
War is cruel, but war is the only way to end this cruel world.
Moreover, with firearms at her disposal, it's believed that no one will be able to suppress her for the time being.
She not only wanted to conquer the Central Plains, but also to unify China and contend for world domination.
Others may not know how big the world is, but Chenxi knows.
The world is so big, I want to go and see it.
Wherever she goes, she leaves behind the traces of Chenxi.
Wherever she measured, that became her land.
Sure enough, the addition of firearms was a devastating blow, and Yonghe Prefecture was brought into Chenxi's possession in just two months.
Because King Wen was young, despite the many arrangements made for him by the old King Wen, some people still refused to accept him.
This ultimately led to internal strife, and some people surrendered directly to Chenxi.
Shenxi readily accepted; the more people surrendered, the fewer casualties there would be.
Having already advanced this far, King Wen is no longer a threat.
The Prince of Busi and the Prince of Xin'an were taken over directly, and the Prince of Wen retreated to his stronghold, the Prince of Shoutian.
Prefect Ge Congshan of Xianghe Prefecture directly dispatched troops to Shoutian Prefecture, catching King Wen off guard. However, due to a rebellion by his subordinates, he was killed by the troops that stormed into King Wen's palace.
At this point, Shoutian Prefecture was occupied by Ge Congshan.
Many people initially thought that Ge Congshan was going to establish himself as the leader, but to everyone's surprise, Ge Congshan actually led his followers to directly acknowledge Shenxi as their master, and from then on became Shenxi's subordinate.
They still guard Xianghe Prefecture, no, it's now called Xianghe Province.
Then, troops were stationed in Shoutian province at the same time.
Under siege, several princes of Yanqi Prefecture fled in panic to Ruyang Prefecture, seeking help from the guards of the Prince of Ruyang.
The Prince of Ruyang also took them in, mainly as soldiers. He didn't treat the princes well and made them do hard labor.
These princes now regret their actions too late.
The Eighth Prince had previously sided with Prince Wen, but when Prince Wen was in turmoil, he betrayed him and went to ally with Ma Zhigang.
Now Ma Zhigang has withdrawn his troops to Beishang Prefecture and Beijiang Prefecture, both of which are densely forested and mountainous, especially with abundant primeval forests.
Shenxi left Qi Xiuwu with Mo Yuhua to specifically target Ma Zhigang's encirclement and suppression.
Then he personally led the team, with Zhao Rong as the main general and Yunnan as the deputy general, to directly take the Zhongdao Prefecture area.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com